


Stormy

by SophieRipley



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: F/M, Fights, Inspired by Art, Rain, argument
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-02
Updated: 2016-12-02
Packaged: 2018-09-06 02:37:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8731528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophieRipley/pseuds/SophieRipley
Summary: Judy and Nick have an argument, after which Judy walks home in the rain.  Nick is still angry at her, but walks her home anyway.





	

It was storming when Judy walked out of Nick’s apartment.  Not the gentle constant precipitation usually found in the Rainforest District where Nick lived, a full-on thunderstorm.  It was a testament to how guilty Judy was feeling that she did not in fact slam the door on her way out, and Nick sighed.

Two hours ago, they’d gotten off duty for the weekend.  It had been a very long week for them.  They’d been involved in their first homicide case, the victim in which was a young rabbit who had been killed by a mid-sized predator.  Nick had been able to shrug off the stress and emotion from the case when he got off duty.  Judy, the emotional being that she was, was less able to brush it off.  Her stress levels had continued to grow all week, despite Nick’s attempts to distract and de-stress her, and by Friday evening she was a bundle of nerves.

Nick took Judy to dinner as he did every Friday evening, and the first part of the meal was fine.  Judy had been quiet, but given the stress of the week it was to be expected.  But then their meals arrived; Judy had splurged on a creamy, cheesy pasta dish, and Nick had ordered a blackened salmon dish with rice.  Throughout the rest of the meal, Judy became more and more sullen until finally, she scoffed rudely when Nick commented on how well-cooked the fish was.  She then got up and walked out, leaving Nick to pay the bill.

At that point, the storm had yet to really begin, had only rumbled ominously above, and so the walk to Nick’s apartment was dry and quiet.  Once they arrived (avoiding the rain by a mere thirty seconds), Judy tossed herself on Nick’s couch and Nick sat at the other end, turned to face her.

“You’re unhappy about something,” commented Nick.  Judy rolled her eyes, turned on Nick’s television, and leaned back into the cushion without answering.

Nick ignored the TV and watched Judy for a moment.  It didn’t take long for her to become irritated at him for it.

“What, Nick.”  Her words were clipped, hard, and more a statement than a question.

“What’s wrong?”

She rolled her eyes again.  “I’m fine, Nick.  Just leave me alone.”

Nick stared at her for a moment and then reached over, grabbed the remote, and turned off the television.  Judy turned on him, looking angry, and Nick raised a paw to forestall any complaints.

“You’ve been quiet since we got off duty,” said Nick calmly, “and you’ve spent all evening getting more and more sullen.  What’s wrong?  I can’t fix it if you won’t tell me.”

She stared at him.  “I don’t think you really care what’s wrong, Nick.”

Nick raised his eyebrows and blinked at her in shock.  “…excuse me?”

“I’ve been stressed all week, Nick,” snapped Judy, “and what have you done to help?”

“I gave you a foot rub yesterday,” said Nick with no hesitation, “brushed your fur the day before, cooked you dinner the day before that, and on Monday I talked to your parents for three hours so you could lay down and not worry about anything.  Is there more that I could have done?”

“Yes!”  Judy stood and jabbed a finger at him.  “You could have acted like a _civilized mammal_ and not eaten _meat_ in front of your _rabbit girlfriend_!”

Nick was caught unprepared, to say the least.  For a long moment he simply stared at her. 

Then, he got confused.

“What?  I ate _fish_.  Fish isn’t _meat_.”

“It’s close enough, Nick.”

“Since when?”  Nick was beginning to get angry, and his tone made that clear.  “We’ve been dating for a year, Judy, and I’ve eaten fish every single week during that time.  You even _tried_ some once!  What makes this any different!”

“I—you—the,” stammered Judy.  “It just _is_ , Nick!”

Nick abruptly understood.  “This is about the case.”

“No it’s not,” lied Judy, looking away.

“Yes it is.”  Nick stood up, scowling at her.  He may have understood, but she’d basically insulted him.  Implied that he was as bad as any feral predator.  _Savage, even_ , insisted the more cynical part of his mind.  “That’s exactly what this is about, Judy.  You’re incapable of separating yourself from that stupid case, and you’re taking the stress out on me.  I don’t deserve that, and I’m not going to listen to it.”

“You didn’t have to eat fish today of all days, Nick.”  Judy crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.

“Why shouldn’t I?  You’re dating a _predator_ , Judy.  I require protein in my diet.  I eat it only twice a week.  You used to understand that.  You used to _support_ that.  Now abruptly you can’t handle it?”

“You have other options, Nick.  You could have refrained for _one day_.”

“Well, maybe you should have said that before we got dinner instead of _after_.  I would have been happy to wait until tomorrow, but you didn’t say it was necessary.”

Judy deflated.  Nick could tell she was still stressed and angry, but she had clearly understood that she was wrong to blame Nick.

“Whatever, Nick,” muttered Judy, holding onto her self-righteous anger as long as possible.  She turned and walked out the door, closing it softly behind her.

As she left, lightning struck nearby, the roar of thunder loud enough to startle Nick, and the rain picked up from a light shower to a downpour.

Nick sighed.  Then he grabbed his umbrella and trotted out after Judy. 

He caught up with her on the sidewalk outside, after she’d already started to get wet, and he opened the umbrella, holding it over her as they walked.  She said nothing to him, and he said nothing in return; they simply walked:  Judy remaining mostly dry, and Nick becoming soaked. 

After awhile, Judy sighed.  “You didn’t have to do this, Nick.”

“I know,” replied Nick simply.  He knew he sounded grumpy, and he was okay with that.

They were quiet again for a few minutes.  Judy again spoke first.  “You’re getting wet.  Why are you walking me home when you’re so angry at me?”

Nick sighed.  “Because I love you, and if you walk home in the rain you’ll get an ear infection and a cold and probably die and it’ll be my fault.”  He peered at her in his peripheral vision.  They both knew he was being melodramatic, and for a brief moment Judy smiled at it despite herself.

“I’m sorry,” muttered Judy, her voice barely audible over the sound of the rain.

Nick stepped closer, looping his arm over her shoulder.  He was still getting wet, but as they walked, she pressed into his side.

“Me too,” replied Nick.

It was enough.

 

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by Sprinkah's artwork (pictured here). You can find the complete original post at the link below.
> 
> http://sprinkah.tumblr.com/post/153943141233/im-angry-at-you-doesnt-mean-i-dont-love-you


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